Never Trust an American
by El-cruze
Summary: This starts out in the hall of seasons, but there's a twist. Kurtis is helping Lara find the painting, but can the American really be trusted? R


**El- Hey, I'm back with yet another opening. Poke me if you must for starting another story but hey, I'm bored. (I've herd about a pointy stick in the area so I'm watching out :)**

_Chapt. 1 Hall of seasons_

Lara slowly walked into the large room and looked around. The walls were painted in old looking paint that crusted at the edges of

each design. On the floor there were four blocks that desended from the floor. Each had an engraving on it. Wind, fire, earth, and water.

Lara crouched beside the wind symbol, and pushed on it slightly. The block went down and Lara looked up to see three doors open. She

lifted her hand and watched the doors close.

" You have to push harder." Said Kurtis from behind her. Lara stood up and looked at him.

" Well that took a brain sergan." She turned back to the block and stood on it. After a few seconds, she herd a click as it locked in place.

Lara looked back at Kurtis, but he looked beond her.

" Lara! Duck!" He yelled. Lara dropped just in time, for a large blade slashed sideways threw the place her head had been a second earlier

Lara rolled sideways and took out a v-packer. She shot a round at the zombie's back and it turned to her, slashing the sword in all

directions.

" Wow! Hey, you could put an eye out with that." Lara said, kicking the sword up in the air and caught it . She then thrust the sword sideways threw the thing's neck, decapitating it.

Lara turned to see Kurtis standing there examining his Boren-X.

" Your loads of help." She exclaimed, throwing the sword to the side.

" No problem." He said walking towards the wind room.

Lara pulled a lever that opened a large gate to a room full of large gusts of air.

After navigating threw the ' Breath of Hades' ( Or wind room) Lara and Kurtis went into a room labled 'fire'

" Oh great! Fire, just what I need at the moment." Lara exclaimed, walking into the warm room. There was no fire anywhere." So, where

is the fire?" Lara asked Kurtis looking around.

" Just wait." Kurtis said, grinning sheepishly. Lara looked around then took one step forward. There was a sudden burst, and flames

desended from eight feet infront of her. She stood there, wide eyed as lava emerged from cracks in the floor in a pit under them.

" Just gets better and better doesn't it?" Kurtis grinned from behind Lara. She turned around and glared at him, then turned again

and ran, jumping onto one of the hexigons over the fire, then stepped forwards to let Kurtis jump behind her. She then put her foot

on the next hexigon, but it flew up in the air, throwing her off balence. Kurtis put his hand on her stomch and pulled her back, holding

her close to him, until the peices of rock all fell into the lava. She looked back at him and he let go of her. She then abruptly jumped to

the next stone.

After a few minutes of jumping ( and one occasion of almost falling) Lara and Kurtis stepped onto the stairs and walked up to the fire

stone. Kurtis took it from the wall and handed it to Lara, who put it in her pack.

" Hey, urm, thanks, for... you know... saving me back there." Lara said, looking at the ground.

" Hey... no problem. Guess I'm not always usles, huh?" Lara smiled at him, and headed back to the door.

After self guiding their way threw the 'earth' room, Lara and Kurtis entered the element of 'water'. They walked into the main room witch

had another zombie in it. But this was a fire zombie.

" Oh great. More fire." Lara exclaimed, taking out a pistol. She then shot a round at the thing and it fell over the edge of the whole in the

middle of the room. Kurtis was once again no help to this occasion. He stood back and waited again. Lara scowled in discust, and

turned to the next door. It lead into a whole in the floor. Above the whole, there was a head on the wall that had water coming out of the

mouth, down into the whole. She stepped up to it and crouched down to look in the water. She then stood up and, without word,

jumped into the water and headed down.

She came into a large chamber which had one way to go. Lara swam up to the opening and suddenly, three knives came chopping

the doorway. She waited and the knives disappeared. She swam in just when the knives came back out and missed them by an inch.

She pulled the lever inside and got out, heading for the surface.(missing the blades by an inch again) When at the surface she found

Kurtis looking over the edge of the whole in the entrence. She came up beside him and looked down. The chamber had filled itself

three- fourths full of water. She looked at him again. He was looking a bit pale.

"what is it? It's just water." Lara said to him. He turned to her." What? Are you afraid of hights?" He took a deep breath.

" No, I... I don't like water." Kurtis looked back at the water. Lara stood biting her lip, trying not to laugh." Oh, you think that's funny?"

Lara couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

" Well, it's just, you don't seem the kind of person that would be afraid of water." Kurtis didn't find it funny. Lara took a step back and

ran for the whole. She did a swan dive wial Kurtis watched, awed. Lara went under water and swam back to the surface looking up.

Kurtis was looking down in the whole after her.

" Come on! There's nothing down here that's going to attack you." Kurtis strained himself.

" You mean besides you? I swear Croft, if you get me killed..." He smiled, then jumped in, closing his eyes. He felt the water come in all

over him. He swam to the surface and opened his eyes, to see Lara a few feet away from him." Now what do we do?" Lara looked

around. Then swam down. Kurtis stayed on the surface, waiting for her.

Lara swam into a small chamber under water. There was another lever there, which she pulled. Then swam back out to find that the

water was now filled full. She joined Kurtis at the surface. Then looked down. There was a huge chamber that opened. Inside( at the

vary bottem of course) was the water stone.

" Kurtis I have to get the stone. I'll be right back ok?" without an answer, Lara swam downward to the stone, and pulled it out of the

holder. Then swam to the surface again. Kurtis was heading to a door that had just opened. Lara swam after him and got out of the

water. They headed back out into the main room again. Then put the stones in the slots labeled for each. Another large door opened.

They went threw this one and it came to a large room with five stone people and a large sacofogus. Lara walked over to the cofin.

" Threw the spirit of the keeper, behold the truth" She pondered. Then saw the painting in one of the hands of a statu. She went over to

it and it dissapeared. The door suddenly shut and there was a gust of wind. Kurtis took out his gun.

" What did I do now?" Kurtis look at her.

" Brother Obscura will be paying us a visit." He looked around. Lara took out a gun." LARA! DUCK!" But he said it to late. The ghost had

come out from the door and passed right threw her. She fell forward hitting the ground." NO!" Kurtis yelled, running over to her. He

then turned around and shot at Brother Obsura. He ran towards the painting and got it. Brother Obscura screeched and dissapeared

entierly.

Kurtis ran over to Lara and proped her up on one of the status. He got a water bottel out of his pack and put the painting inside it. He

opened the water bottel and pored it on a peice of cloth, then put that on her forhead. She sturred a bit and opened her eyes. She

smiled up at him, then held her stomch with her hands. Kurtis moved her hands to see a a large blood stain on her shirt. He took out a

long bandage and wraped her stomach and then helped her up. She could hardly walk, but she could. They headed down the hall.

Once out of the tomb, they headed for the exit. Lara could now walk. They stopped in an art gallerie and Lara sat down. Kurtis asked,

" Are you alright?" Lara nodded. Kurtis helped her up and they heard foot steps coming down the hall. A security gaurd came out of

the opened door." HEY!" he yelled. Kurtis ran down the hall and Lara fallowed as fast as she could manage with her

condition. They ran out into an allyway. Lara came out the door and Kurtis was lieing on the ground. She headed over to him, but

suddenly, someone hit her from behind. DARKNESS.

Lara pushed open the door to the apartment. The yellow police tap fluttered in the night breeze from the open window. She stepped

into the emptie entrence hall. A tear came to her eye as she saw the small blood stain on the floor where Werner had died. She saw the

munstrum signs on the wall and floor.

" I'm not a criminal, I'm a victum." she said aloud to herself.

" Really?" said a voice from behind her. She pulled a gun out as she spun around to see Kurtis Trent leaning on the wall. Lara let out a

sharp breath of displeasure as her eyes narrowed. He rose an eyebrow.

" Oh, you again?" she said strongly.

" Must I ask why you are giving me that look?" Kurtis asked.

" Ou." she said, walking over to the large framed picture on the wall. Then sighed," You used me," she looked at him again," Just to get

that painting." He stood up.

" Me? Your the one one who knocked me out in the allyway!" Lara rolled her eyes. Then sat down in an armchair. She noticed a large

picture of a small fourteen-year old girl with Von Croy. Herself.

" So... is that you?" Kurtis asked, looking at the picture and back at her. Lara nodded." Cute." He said grinning to himself.

Kurtis walked over to Lara and knelt down infront of her. He just sat and stared into her eyes. Lara leaned forward( With caution

because her stomatch was hurting) and got a few inched away from him. She could feel his breath on her face as his eyes began to

close. She could feel a sudden rush of heat as their lips toched. He put his hand on her shoulder.

After a wial, Kurtis slowly pulled away. Taking his hand off her shoulder. He stood up and went over to the window. Lara looked at him.

" What's the matter?" She asked. He turned to her.

" Well, it's just... well..." Click. A gun being loaded. Both Lara and Kurtis took out their guns. Lara looked around.

" Kurtis, we need to get out of he... Kurtis?" She turned around, but the American had fled.

Lara waited impatiently for him to return to the airlock. All to suddenly, the power came on. She got up from sitting on the floor and

flattened herself against the wall by the door. It opened and Kurtis walked right past her. She got out a gun and pointed it at him,

loading it. Click.

Kurtis stood dead in his tracks. Lara pushed him up against the wall.

" Hello again," she said into his ear. Then took the Boren X out of it's holster and the glaive. Throwing it on the ground and stepping on

it to make sure Kurtis couldn't activate it. Then spun him around. Pushing his back to the wall. He grinned.

" Don't play games Kurtis, I'm not to happy." she said dangerously.

" Dare I ask why?" he gestured.

" You left me. After that... that..." she stopped.

" Oh, that's why! You mean that kiss?" He shifted positions." Well, at least I have the painting, and the two periupt shards!"

" Not planing to run again?" She glared.

" Do you trust me when I say no?" He stopped smiling.

" I don't know. Can I trust you?" she stepped back.

" I guess that is for you to diside." Kurtis looked at her strongly, for an answer. Lara looked away and opened her mouth to say

something but then closed it, looking at the ground and back up at him. She stared at him for a moment, looking helpless. Then leaned

forward, and kissed him. Putting her hand on the back of his neck. She pulled away and looked at the ground again. she pulled out the

engraving and unrolled it.

" I'll get into the Vault and get the painting. You go and get the shard. Ok?" she looked at him wial putting the engraving away.

" Ok." He turned and headed out the door.

" Kurtis!" Lara yelled after him. He turned to look at her." Be careful." he smiled as she turned and walked out the door.

**Short, yes? Well it's pretty badly written, I wrote it a year ago when I couldn't write (can I even write now?) I will pretty much be consintrating on updating 'The Dark and Blue' so this story won't get going for awial. Me like reviews! Don't poke please (he,he) I know I'm a bad girl for starting so many storys. But they'll get along.**

**- El-Cruze :D**


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